If you think science dictionaries are boring, think again. This handy reference is a good read if you're at all interested in science. Some 1,300 people are covered in detailed entries that also convey some feel for them as people. Irish entries include William Hamilton the mathematician, who in his later years was a recluse, working and drinking excessively"; Birr's Charles Parsons, inventor of the steam turbine; Robert Boyle, the father of modern chemistry; G.F.

FitzGerald, whose work is a cornerstone in relativity theory; and Dame Kathleen Lonsdale, a pioneer in the study of crystal structures. Women are well represented, including the early computer scientist Grace Hopper, and Nobel geneticist, Barbara McClintock. Rosalind Franklin's entry stresses her important role in the discovery of the double helix. There are also 35 short essays on everything from Napoleon and science, to AIDS and chaos; a chronology of scientific developments; and a list of previous Nobel laureates.